Garrett, Caleb

Born: 1816-07-06 Clinton County, Ohio

Died: 1887-05-06 Douglas County, Illinois

Flourished: Bourbon, Illinois

Caleb Garrett was a surveyor, farmer, state legislator, and justice of the peace. At the age of seven, Garrett moved with his family from his native Ohio to Vigo County, Indiana. His opportunities for a formal education were limited, but he attended school when he could. He worked at a variety of jobs in Terre Haute, Indiana and made several flatboat trips to New Orleans, Louisiana, between 1834 and 1839. In 1840, Garrett moved to Texas and settled briefly in Austin before becoming a surveyor. In December 1840, he married Irene Puckett. The couple moved to Terre Haute in 1841, where Garrett became a farmer. A Whig, he won election to the Indiana General Assembly in 1842 and served two terms. He declined the opportunity for a third term, devoting himself to farming and stock raising. In 1846, Garrett bought 160 acres of land in Douglas County, Illinois, and moved there in 1849. In 1850 and 1853, he acquired 200 acres of public land west of Tuscola in what would become Garrett Township. In 1850, he owned $1,200 in real estate. He won election as justice of the peace in 1854 and held the office until he resigned. In 1860, Garrett owned real property valued at $14,600 and had a personal estate of $2,500.

John Gresham, comp., Historical and Biographical Record of Douglas County, Illinois (Logansport, IN: Wilson, Humphreys, 1900), 291-95; Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Douglas County, 154:69, 155:29, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Coles County, Illinois, 99; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Douglas County, IL, 172; Gravestone, Cartwright Cemetery, Tuscola, IL.